Friday, December 21, 2012

Our New, FREE video workshop will unveil little known financial aid secrets to help you get the most out of your applications!We
here at the CollegeResourceCenter
realize this is a hectic and often stressful time of year. As if holidays,
get-togethers, cooking and shopping frenzies weren't enough? Now college
financial aid deadlines are quickly approaching, and those complicated,
money-saving applications are not to be forgotten either. Overwhelming? To say
the least! Whether
you are currently applying for aid, or will be in the years to come, we are
making available a FREE video workshop on managing financial aid applications that will
help you understand the full process and what you need to do to keep focused
and get the job done right the first time! This workshop will provide insight into:

·
Why
"the early bird gets the worm" concept applies for maximizing awards.

·
How
to understand the "lingo" and avoid common mistakes that could cost
you.

·
Why
clearly understanding the whole process will help you get the job done.

·
How
you can to gain control over your awards offers.

We hope that you will take advantage of this timely resource that will make your financial aid applications (and maybe even your holidays) a little less stressful!

Click here to get access to these helpful college financial aid strategies!

Pass it on! If you know anyone who might also benefit from this information, feel free to share it!

Wednesday, December 19, 2012

Author's note: Are you the parent of a student either currently enrolled in college - or who is planning on attending a post-secondary school next fall? You don't have to be told that college is expensive and planning is time consuming. This two-part series, designed for parents and employee assistance (and other) professionals who are assisting them in this often-difficult process, can really help!

In part I of this two-part series, I outlined some of the issues that are just the "tip" of the college planning iceberg influencing whether today's "modern" family will be able to actually afford a 4-year college. In this post, I will go over more key points.

Most EFC calculators pivot off a handful of data points- our
calculator actually pivots off close to 20 significant data points that provide
a more accurate picture of what your expected family contribution (EFC) might
be. By knowing this number ahead of time, you can create a more efficient plan for how
best to pay for college. While EFC is mostly “income”-driven in nature, our
work with families has uncovered additional “peripheral” areas, like assets,
that can influence what a family’s “true” EFC looks like. Did you know that
assets held in a student’s name can often be assessed as high as 26% in some formulas?

This is because
assets that are held in a student’s name typically do not have an asset
protection allowance. There is over $150
billion in financial aid available each year if you know how to get it and with
the competition for admissions becoming increasingly competitive, students need
to know how best to present themselves to their targeted colleges.

If you are like many of the thousands of families who feel
they are not receiving the kind of attention from their high schools that is
needed during the college application process, take a peek at some of the
various web-based tools that we have launched to help simplify this process. (www.smarttracktoolkit.com).

Be sure to monitor deadlines (both admissions and financial
aid) for each college you are applying to.
Believe it or not schools often have different deadlines for their
admissions applications versus their financial aid applications. For students applying to state schools, did
you know that different states have different deadlines for families to submit
their FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) forms? States like
Kentucky, Tennessee and Vermont award aid on a first come, first-served basis
so its critical to have your forms submitted in January (as a general rule of
thumb) before most of the available aid disappears by late spring.

If you are a parent of a senior in high school or you have
kids who are currently in college and are applying for financial aid,
you can get a head start by using our College Funding tool to actually submit
all of your financial aid forms on time (including the FAFSA & CSS Profile
forms) and be entitled to a professional review with one of our experienced
college funding advisors.

Remember to use the promo code: “Impact” to receive 20% off when
you purchase any of our 5 components and feel free to contact me with any
questions you might have: jay.robie@smarttracktoolkit.com
or 800 863-9440 ext. 277. Good luck!

About Smart
Track™ Toolkit: The toolkit is a web based service that assists
families with everything from admissions and test prep, to student athletics
and financial aid. Our intuitive
software and on-demand workshops are key components to making sure students
find their top choice colleges, and families can afford to send them there.

About the author: Jay Robie is the VP of Business
Development in the Corporate and Education channels with the College Resource Center, LLC. Jay has previous work experience as an
Admissions Counselor at St. Lawrence University and BostonCollege as well as the Director of the
Corporate Internship Program at Notre
DameHigh School. Jay also has consulted for Road to College as
an Admissions Planner.

Monday, December 17, 2012

38 minutes. The
average length of time a high school guidance counselor is able to spend with a
student discussing college-specific items.
476:1 Thenational average ratio
of high school students to guidance counselors. $1 trillion in student debt that has eclipsed credit card debt for
the 1st time in history.. College costs that rise 6-8% on average per year. A larger and
more competitive applicant pool. These
issues and averages are just the “tip” of the college planning iceberg influencing
whether today’s “modern” family will be able to actually afford a 4-year college.

Much of this information has been penned already by many
other authors, so I do not want to rehash something that has already been
“beaten” senseless into the American public but rather highlight a few pointers
that might help folks to mitigate some of their anxieties and fears. Our firm,
the College Resource Center, has worked with thousands of families over the
years on creating viable plans for how best to pay for college without going
broke and while each family’s situation is different, there is a common link
amongst them- they are all very concerned with how best to approach what can be
an overwhelming process.

Have a plan. If you don’t, your plan will arrive in the mail
when you receive your 1st tuition bill. Determine what your EFC (Expected Family Contribution) will be. This is one of THE most
important figures to know and basically lets a college know how much per year
you can afford to pay to have your son or daughter attend that fine
institution.

To get started, you can use our EFC calculator at Free Trial to register for
a free trial and learn not only what your personal EFC is, but how much it
potentially could be lowered by. (Your
free trial will also give you access to an eCalendar
to help you keep track of important dates and deadlines in the college
admissions process)

Use the promo code: “Impact” to receive 20% off when you purchase any of our 5 components and feel free to contact me with any questions you might have: jay.robie@smarttracktoolkit.com or 800 863-9440 ext. 277. Good luck!

COMING NEXT: More on EFC calculators,
admissions deadlines, and more.

About Smart
Track™ Toolkit: The toolkit is a web based service that assists
families with everything from admissions and test prep, to student athletics
and financial aid. Our intuitive
software and on-demand workshops are key components to making sure students
find their top choice colleges, and families can afford to send them there.

About the author: Jay Robie is the VP of Business
Development in the Corporate and Education channels with the College Resource Center, LLC. Jay has previous work experience as an
Admissions Counselor at St. Lawrence University and BostonCollege as well as the Director of the
Corporate Internship Program at Notre
DameHigh School. Jay also has consulted for Road to College as
an Admissions Planner.